Four

Chapter 4

 

 Eido once again walked through the woods from picking her apples. The cool breeze whirled around her and blew her dress around her ankles. The sun broke through the canopy and onto her soft hair. She reached her father’s cottage and opened the door.

 “Papa, where are you going?” Tamas was preparing a bag for travelling.

 “I need to go away for a few days; there was an attack on a small village. They need help and I’ve been asked to go and rebuild some buildings.” He swung the bag over his shoulder and kissed Eido on the cheek.

 “How long for?” Eido followed him outside and to his horse.

 “A couple of weeks,” he mounted and put the bag over his lap. “I’m sorry Eido, I have no choice. We have not enough coin to last us through the summer.” Tamas’ voice seemed stressed and frustrated.

 “What do you mean? I thought business was good.”

 “I didn’t want to burden you, but business has not been as steady as I would have liked. These are hard times for people Eido; they haven’t the coin to spend on carpentry these days.”

 “But I need you home Papa.”

 “You’ll be fine, if there is trouble, remember your training and be smart. I shan’t be long.” Tamas smiled at his daughter, he touched her cheek with his large rough hand.

 “I wished I didn’t have to go, but I do. I’m sorry. I will see you soon” He kissed her forehead and rode away leaving Eido feeling saddened and afraid. She hated being apart from her father. Flashing images of her mother shot into mind. Eido’s father had told her of her mother’s death to a stranger, a wolf.

 Eido went back inside the empty cottage. She sat down on her father’s rocking chair and smoothed the arms with her palms. The sun shone through the windows and into her big brown eyes.

 

*

 

 “So you have sent for aid?” Kai asked his younger brother who sat meters away from him in their father’s throne.

 “Yes brother, I have sent for aid. There are some carpenters on their way to Thistle as we speak.”

 “Have you worked out how they stopped the Night Fiends?”

 “It appears a man used fire to fend them off,” Cal took a bite from an apple, the crunch echoed through the empty throne room.

 “Fire?” Kai rubbed his chin with thought, “how does this man know to use fire against them? Did you have a chance to meet this man?” Cal shook his head as he chewed the fruit.

 “There was a man there, he called the Night Fiends by a different name, one that I have not heard off, he called them vampires.” The news left Kai stumped.

 “Vampires, they were once called that. In the old text books they were referred to as the vampire. This man must have been very wise if he were to refer to them by their original name.” Cal snorted a laugh, “why the laugh, Cal?”

 “The man you’re talking about was found in a trough and smelling of ale.”

 “Cal, even the wisest books are with a worn cover. You mustn’t judge our people by their appearance.”

 “Your people,” Cal muttered under his breath. Kai sensed moodiness from his younger brother, a sense of jealousy. He watched him with eager eyes as Cal caressed the arms of the throne and how powerful he looked and how at home he appeared.

 

*

 

 Robin heard a distant scream; he jerked his head and woke up. The tree he leaned against pained his back, though he was used to it. He often woke with aches and pains. He pushed himself off the broken twigs and dead leaves that lay across the earthy soil and then took a long swig of his flask. The sun barely shone through the leaves and trees overhead as he began to walk again.

 The walk was long and arduous, sweat dripped off his face as the heat cooked him. His limbs ached and his back ached more, he combed the hair from his eyes and heaved a sigh. What am I looking for? His head jerked and his ears pricked. A noise had sounded in the distance. Robin ran. The dead leaves and broken branches and twigs kicked up behind him and crumbled as his boots hit the earth. He drew his sword as he ran, shooting past trees and turning himself into nothing more than a moment past.

 He stopped; he tried to slow his breathing to listen again. Silence. He breathed in through his nostrils and tried to claim sort of scent. There, wet, damp and sweat, blood and death, his changed his direction and began to run again.

 

*

 

 Eido tipped the watering can and watched as the cool water fed the flowers by her cottage door. Breeze swept in from the clearing of trees where her father’s cottage sat, but the heat from the sun was still almost unbearable. She worried for her father, she always did. The idea of him being too far to reach pained her heart. Her ears pricked, she jerked her head to her left and listened intently. A twig snapped, she was sure of it. Eido placed the watering can on the grass and began to walk, cautiously. She stopped at a large beech tree and listened. All was silent, except, a low breathing, a panting.

 Instantly she ran, without a look back, but she didn’t need to, she could already hear the paws hitting the earth and the twigs and leaves crunching under their might. She ran into the cottage and closed the door which shuddered under the pounding of the beast outside. She bolted the door and stepped back, the beast stopped. Instead she heard a howling, a screaming that deafened her ears, she brought her hands up to cover them in an attempt to block it out but it was useless. Then once again silence, an eerie drawn out silence that seem to last longer than reality.

 Eido’s eyes fell upon the doorknob, which began to turn. Her heart hit her chest so hard it echoed in her ears, her breathing was short and quick trembling all the while. Her eyes diverted to the window, the shape of a man passed by, she frowned before suddenly remembering the back door, she ran through and into the kitchen to find a man standing before her, naked and covered in blood. She couldn’t move the shock rooted her to the ground. Eido watched as the man’s teeth dripped with saliva, he tilted his head to the side and twisted a smile.

 The man took a step forward and was met by a loud crash, a man in an emerald green clock had smashed through the shutters and landed on the intruder. Eido watched in amazement as the two men fought.

 

*

 

 Robin stood; Marcus crouched on the floor in front of him. They stared at each other, each with hate and fire in their eyes. The woman stood feet away with wide eyes, darting between the two. Robin drew his sword and readied himself against the snarling beast. The woman ran and Marcus chose this moment to pounce. He jumped on Robin who braced himself with his sword, he tried to push him away but Marcus clawed at his face with his still human hands. Robin managed to lift his feet up and kick him off. Robin stood and slashed his sword against Marcus’ chest. The blood spattered over the floor. Marcus rubbed a hand against his wound and with a sick smile he licked the blood from it.

 

*

 

 Eido ran through the cottage and let the two strangers fight; she ran to the front door and pulled it open. Outside, her father’s axe stood buried in a tree stump. The fight was loud and rough, many things inside her home was smashed and broken. She held the axe and readied herself for whatever came out of her front door.

 Then it was quiet, the fight had stopped. Eido still waited, her hand shook nervously with a tight grip on the axe. She could hear footsteps coming from inside, out of the dim shadows of the cottage. A man came into the doorframe, tall and broad shouldered, his cloak spattered with blood. His bright green eyes looked up into Eido’s and instantly she knew he was no threat, though she didn’t lower the axe.

 “Who are you?” Eido tried to put on a brave voice, stern and commanding. Her training came into play; she remembered what her father had taught her, the basics of fighting. She held the axe now with confidence, yet still her heart beat just as fast.

 “I am Robin Quinn, I am sorry for the intrusion. I picked up Marcus’ trail and I had to follow.” His rough face was burdened by scars.

 “Not at all, I thank you for saving me.” Robin sheathed his sword and bowed low to her. He turned to leave, “where has the other man gone? My attacker, where is he?”

 “He escaped, he ran out of the back door before I could slay him.”

 “Will he be back?”

 “I cannot say.” Eido panicked, she didn’t want to be left alone, that man could come back and kill her.

 “Stay with me,” she shouted to Robin’s back.

 “Pardon?”

 “Stay with me, he may come back and I don’t want to be left alone when he does.” Robin thought long and hard while Eido looked at him with her big brown eyes.

 “Are you sure you trust me? After all, you only learned my name a few moments ago.”

 “You just saved my life, I trust you to save me again when the time comes.”

 “No.”

 Robin left the cottage and the woman he saved behind. He threw up his hood over his greasy hair and walked away into the trees.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good chapter. I like the character Robin. Good to help some help. Thank you for a excellent chapter.
Coyote

[Octob3r Star]

You have so much adventure. That's an amazing quality : ) ...next chapter (there's like popcorn all over my laptop ha ha)